Colorful White Wall Canvas
by MuSiC HaTs
Summary: She was just a girl who wore white, yet left rainbows in her wake, and he was just a boy who wore colors on the outside, but inside was washed out and saw the world in shades of gray. NejiTen
1. Chapter 1

_Gaaaaah. It took me forEVER to write this. Two weeks. The joints in my fingers have locked. Forever._

_Anyway..._

**Disclaimer**_: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would either have never left, or died. So, yeah. I don't own it. _

_Songs used:_

_Colorful Wall (Boy to Girl) by Len Kagamine_

_White Canvas (Girl to Boy) by Rin Kagamine_

_Melt by Miku Hatsune_

_Spinning Song by Rin & Len Kagamine_

_From a Place You're Not There by Rin & Len Kagamine_

_If you couldn't tell by now, I am a complete and total vocawhore. And I'm proud, damn it._

_Enjoy!_

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* * *

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_This white room, white wall with me that has nothing, that can't do anything...you taught me the world in repeated short time_

_~0~_

**Colorful.** _White. _**Wall. **_Canvas._

When Neji saw her, it was after he'd escaped from the hospital for the third time that week.

Neji hated hospitals; it was to be expected, since he'd spent most of his life in them. He used every opening to get away, and when he did, he would run to the park, or into the city, sneaking into his favorite bookstore, wrapped up in literature until his father found him, a stressed, worried frown on his face. His father was always worried now; he rarely ever smiled, and when he did, it was a forced, sad attempt. For today's escape, Neji went to the park, the green leaves moving in time with the soft breeze.

Neji closed his pale eyes, letting the wind caress his face, and adjusted the pale blue bandanna on his head, so the wind can rustle what was left of his hair; a few dark, limp strands swinging tiredly with the wind. Before, he believed his hair to be a hassle, something that irked him; now, he yearned to have all of his hair again, to feel the heavy weight of it on his shoulders, tying the thick hair into a low ponytail.

Cancer was an evil, evil thing; it stole anything and everything from you, either swift and mercifully or in a cruel, agonizingly slow manner.

The wind was soothing, its hypnotic brushing over the leaves sending him into a light doze. The silence was…very…calming…

"_MERUTO tokete shimaisou_

_Suki da nante zettai ni ienai... dakedo"_

Neji's eyes slowly opened, as a high voice reached his ears, rising, and then fading away. He turned his head to where the voice originated, slowly pushing himself up from the bench, readjusting his bandanna.

He wanted to find out who was singing this song.

Neji moved to the center of the park, where there was a large fountain, jets of cool water shooting upward into the sky. And standing on the large rim of the fountain was a girl.

She wore all white, the pure color making her tan skin glow, and her chestnut hair almost black. Her arms were outstretched; fingers splayed wide, her smile wide as she sang.

"_MERUTO me mo awaserarenai_

_Koi ni koi nante shinai wa watashi_

_Datte kimi no koto ga...suki nano"_

_~0~_

_**I know. Isn't the world a little more enjoyable?**_

_**(You're smiling when you're singing)**_

_~0~_

Around the fountain a crowd stood, listening on happily as the girl sang about first love, her steps light as she skipped around the fountain's edge. Neji shuffled, hesitant to go forward; he wanted to go forward, to join the crowd…but…it was best if he just stayed here. Making his decision, Neji leaned against the trunk of the tree next to him and watched. Just then, the girl turned on her heel, and her hazel eyes locked on his.

She didn't miss a note in her singing, but her smile, if possible, grew even wider, color spreading across her cheeks.

~0~

_**I know. Isn't the world a little happier?**_

_**(A red blush spreads across the smiling face)**_

_~0~_

Seeing her smile, Neji couldn't fight back the smile that had spread across his face. He did not know this girl; he didn't know her name, what she liked, what she hated, or where she lived. But, he knew that even though the girl didn't wear a thread of color on her, she seemed to leave rainbows in her wake, her aura a warm, golden yellow. Like sunlight. Neji sat down and closed his eyes, pressing his back against the rough bark. For the first time in a while, he felt peaceful, the feeling a light, green thing.

"You and I couldn't be any more opposite…" he whispered

She wore no colors, yet she left colors where ever she went, and he was dressed in bright fabrics, but could only see in shades of gray.

~0~

_**You're singing. About the colorful world**_

_**You're singing. With a faint sweetness**_

_**You're singing. About the discolored world**_

_~0~_

_The thing that clings, life_

_The thing that touches, appearance_

_The thing that loves, always_

_The thing that fell, word_

_~0~_

When Tenten saw him, she was at the fountain in the park, singing like she usually did.

Tenten loved to sing; she'd been singing ever since she was small; she wanted anyone to hear, everyone to hear. Tenten wanted to tell everyone the joys and sorrows, good times and bad, which happen in this world. She wanted to show them the beauty; to see the world through her rose-colored glasses. And so, to reach them, Tenten sang.

~0~

_It reached. It all reached._

_Outside, inside, you, me_

_I grab "now" and sing. Sing everything._

_~0~_

Every time Tenten went out, she never wore colors. Sometimes she wore white, other days gray and black on really rare days. Every day, no matter the weather, she went to the park, stood on the rim of the large fountain located at the center of the park, and began to sing. The people who passed by loved her singing, one telling her as she sang that she, "trailed colors wherever she went" Ever since then, she stopped wearing colors; why bother, when there were rainbows in her blood, following her in a thin trail.

That day was just another day for her, and she'd gone to the park, like she usually did. She was standing on the fountain, singing about the joy of first love, when she saw him. He was standing in the shadows of the trees, his hands in the pockets of his faded blue jeans. His pale green shirt rippled in time with the breeze, along with the thin dark strands of hair that were waving underneath his blue bandanna. His pale eyes were tired, rimmed with dark circles, and he was hunched inward on himself somewhat, as though the mere act of standing tired him.

Tenten felt an odd stirring, a soft noise as the world just seemed to click into place, and her face warmed as she stared, never missing a note in her singing. This boy, dressed in colors yet transparent and gray, was important. It was as though she'd been waiting for this day, and she smiled brightly at the boy as soon as his eyes locked onto hers. His eyes went a bit wide with shock, but he couldn't seem to stop the answering smile that had spread across his face. That smile had made the world brighter, the colors around her whirling into a kaleidoscope.

She didn't know this boy that much was definitely for certain; but she knew that this gray ghost was hers now. She _wanted_ to know his name, where he was from, what he liked, what he hated, and why he looked so tired. But for now, all she could do was sing. And so she did sing, never tearing her eyes away from the boy.

'_We're so different,'_ Tenten mused to herself, _'and yet…we're the same, somehow. Aren't we, my gray ghost?'_

_~0~_

_Outside, inside, you, me_

_I sing "now"_

_~0~_

"_MERUTO eki ni tsuite shimau..._

_mou aenai chikakute tooi yo dakara_

_MERUTO te wo tsunaide arukitai!_

_mou BAIBAI shinakucha ikenai no?_

_ima sugu watashi wo dakishimete!_

_...nante ne"_

Neji watched as the girl hopped off the rim of the fountain, beaming. Grabbing the edges of her skirt, she gave her small audience a clumsy curtsy, happily giving her thanks. As the crowd thinned, the girl began to move, a light skip in her step, as she quickly traveled towards Neji. He stiffened as she grew near, his nerves rising, but he couldn't find it in him to get up, to vanish before she got there. But before his mind could reconnect to his body, she was there, in all her colorful glory, her hands behind her back as she stared down at him, smiling.

Her kindness was yellow, warm, and her eyes sent red fire to Neji's face. He coughed, "can…can I help you..?" he questioned, raising one eyebrow as he stared up at her.

She shrugged, "I dunno," she replied, her grin widening, "can you?" In the blink of an eye, she'd crouched down, so that they were looking at each other equally. She coked her head, her chestnut bangs flopping clumsily across her forehead, giving Neji the strange urge to swipe the bangs away.

"My name's Tenten" she said suddenly, "Just Tenten. Age sixteen. Who're you?" Neji continued to stare at her, discovering that her eyes had flecks of gold in them, that shined when the sun hit them just right.

It astounded him; everything about her was just _golden._

"Neji," he said slowly, "Neji Hyuuga. I'll be seventeen next month." _'If I even live that long,' _he added bitterly, silently. Tenten nodded, "it's nice to meet you, Neji!" she said happily, holding out a hand, "let's be friends, okay?"

Neji stared at her hand like it was going to snap at him, before hesitantly reaching out, and grasping her small hand. Electricity seemed to shoot between them, the spark a bright, fluorescent orange, and the feeling made Neji jump slightly.

Tenten giggled, and swung their joined hands together, "so, riddle me this," she chirped, "how come you're out here, all by your lonesome?" His shoulders stiffened a bit, before Neji shrugged, his outward appearance nonchalant, "no reason," he said smoothly. Tenten's eyes narrowed; she only knew Neji for a few minutes, and already she could tell when he was lying and when he wasn't.

"Don't lie to me," she chided, "so, what, did you run away or something?" Neji's nonchalant façade melted into a grimace, "not…exactly…" he hedged, avoiding her piercing eyes. But he felt Tenten's gaze burrow under his skin, and he sighed, "I ran away from the hospital." Tenten felt her eyebrows rise, "the hospital? What're you doing there?" Neji felt a little spark of _something_ go out of him, and he looked down at his hands, which were thinner than he remembered; he needed to eat some more. "I…" he said softly, "I-I'm…I have cancer. I've had it for a while, so…it's no…I'm getting the treatment, so…"

Tenten pursed her lips and nodded, placing her chin on her knees, "I understand. Okay."

Neji looked at her, somewhat surprised. That was it? No pity? No sympathetic words, or how sorry she was, looking at him like he was dead already? No…no…there was…nothing. It was as though he'd just told her about tomorrow's weather, not the fact that he was dying. This girl…Tenten…she was an enigma; a mystery to him. Tenten suddenly looked down at the black watch on her wrist and gasped, shooting up to her feet, "shoot! Neji, I have to go home now; my uncle said I have to come home early this time!"

She shook off whatever dirt was clinging to her skirt, before offering a hand to Neji to help him up. Slightly stunned by her quick movements, Neji quietly took Tenten's hand, feeling that orange spark between them, and let het pull him to his feet. "It was nice to meet you, Neji," Tenten said, squeezing his hand softly, "can I see you again tomorrow?" Neji's brows wrinkled as the thought; tomorrow, he had to go through more chemotherapy, and the sessions always made him violently ill afterward. "I'll…I'll try…" he finally answered, looking down at his feet.

The smile Tenten gave him made him freeze, blinded by the brightness of it, "great! I hope I'll see you again, Neji!" Giving his hand one last squeeze, she turned, and began to run, heading toward the gates of the park. Neji stared after her until she had all but vanished from his sight, the orange tingles still spreading through his hand. He blinked. Blinked again. Blinked some more.

But no matter what he did, Tenten's bright smile would not fade from his mind's eye. His vision hazy, Neji slowly made his way back to the hospital, his thoughts wrapped up in the white enigma that oozed color.

Tenten was…different; the most out there person he'd ever met.

Her bright attitude was almost…refreshing. And he'd only known her for such a short amount of time! When he'd finally re-entered the hospital, his nurse pounced on him, looking over him to make sure he was alright, before practically dragging him back to his room, berating him all the while. After lecturing him, his nurse quickly deposited him in his room, before leaving with a huff, her pink hair trailing over her shoulders. Neji stared after her before sighing quietly as she left the room; Sakura Uchiha is a nice nurse, the nicest he's ever had, but sometimes, she could be a real pain.

Sitting on his bed, Neji leaned into the pillows, turning to look out the window at the blue sky, and the few birds that flew by. As he lay there, Neji began to feel restless; it started as a twitch of his fingers, which grew to a small amount of fidgeting, which led to him sitting up, his heart hammering for _something._ But _what_? Then, he saw it. A dark blue spiral notebook, lying innocently on his nightstand. His sketchbook. Without even thinking about it, he reached out, sighing as he picked up the notebook, feeling the calm, blue relief it brought him. Neji looked around again, and picked up a sharpened pencil in one of the nightstand's drawers.

Then, flipping the sketchbook open to a new page, Neji pressed the pencil against the white, white paper, and began to draw again for the first time in months. When he finished, what stared back at him was a drawing of Tenten, her smile still so bright, even on paper.

_~0~_

_**I'm drawing. The "world" you gave me.**_

"…Eleven…twelve…thirteen…"

Tenten tucked her chin into her palms, as she stared up at the sky, and counted the birds that flew overhead, sailing underneath the white puffs of cotton in the sky. After she ran out of birds to count, Tenten stood up with a sigh.

Neji was late. Three hours late, to be exact.

Tenten tried, but she just couldn't stop the disappointment that rose in her, pressing against her like a grey stone. She knew she shouldn't have been disappointed; she only met Neji yesterday. But she couldn't help herself; it felt as though she'd known him for years, not just twenty minutes.

Tenten should've known that Neji wouldn't show up; but she couldn't help but hope that maybe he'd come...

"_I ran away from the hospital"_

Tenten's head snapped up as Neji's voice echoed through her mind, the tone tired and gray. _'Of course…'_ Tenten wanted to smack herself; she'd completely forgotten that Neji was in the hospital, '_and that is where I'm going to go!'_

_~0~_

"The hospital always has extra doors…" Tenten murmured to herself, "that way, no one will see me, and I won't have to go ask for help!"

Smiling, Tenten quietly slipped through one of the doors into Konoha Hospital. She wandered around the large halls that were too bright, the floors too shiny, looking in every room for Neji. Two hours and three different floors later, she found him. He was curled up in his hospital bed, his back facing her. He was wearing a white t-shirt and beige shorts, his pale blue bandanna gone, showing her the few patches of hair that clung valiantly to his scalp, the washed out strands spread out on the pillow.

He looked tired, broken…sick.

Sharp and fast, sadness rose up in her, sharp and blue and painful, leaving a large lump in her throat.

Tenten swallowed the painful lump down, and tentatively took a step into his room, shutting the door quietly behind her. "N-Neji…?" she whispered, keeping her hand wrapped around the doorknob. His body jerked, as though he'd been electrocuted, before he slowly turned on his other side to look at her, his eyes wide with shock. "Wh-what…" he rasped, "what're you doing-how on earth did you-why-?"

At his sputtering, Tenten's lips curled into a smile, and she laughed softly, "surprise!" she said happily, "I came to see you! It took forever and a half trying to find your room, but I did it!" She placed her hands on her hips and grinned, proud of her accomplishment.

Neji slowly got over his shock, and sighed, shaking his head, "you're…you sure are something," he sighed, relaxing into his pillows. Placing her hands behind her back, Tenten moved over to Neji's bed, sitting down at the foot of the bed, "so…how are you?" It was such a simple question, but for Neji it was a heavy, loaded question to answer. He sighed, choosing his words carefully, "well…I had some…tests done today…" He closed his eyes, remembering the news that his doctor had told him after his chemo treatment. "My…my doctor said that there hasn't been much improvement and…the cancer isn't…going away. If something doesn't change soon, then…I'll have a year. A year and a half, at the most."

At the foot of his bed, Tenten had become a statue, her eyes wide as she absorbed the painful information.

'_A…year…?'_ It was hard to believe, to comprehend. One year. Three hundred and sixty-five days they'd have together. Such a small amount of time.

Tenten's breath left her with a shaky whoosh, "that's…that's not a lot of time…" she whispered. Neji shook his head, eyes bitter, exhausted, "no…no it's not…" he whispered in return. They both fell silent, and Tenten didn't notice that she'd been hugging herself, until Neji grabbed one of her hands. She never realized just how cold he felt; it was as though all of the blood in his veins just…stopped.

And it scared her.

"Tenten…it'll be fine…don't worry…I'll be okay. It'll all get better soon."

~0~

_It won't heal. It won't heal. It won't heal. _

_Hiding that scar that won't heal_

_It won't disappear. It won't disappear. It won't disappear._

_Holding the pain that won't disappear._

_~0~_

Tenten turned her hand, so she could lace her fingers with his, the frown on her face never disappearing. "Will it?" she finally asked, her voice small, "be okay, I mean? Will it really?" Neji's frown deepened, "I'd like to think so…I really hope so…there's a lot…a lot I still want to do…"

Tenten's frown deepened, "you're making it sound like there's no hope…like you're really going to…to…" Greif cut through her with its silver bite, and she quietly cried for her almost-stranger, who was already turning into something, in such a short amount of time.

Tenten pressed her hands to her face, feeling the traitor tears slide silently down her face, and she didn't jerk away, as Neji slowly, hesitantly wrapped his arms around his almost-stranger and held her close. What-could-be's and what-should-be's floated around their minds, but they focused on the what-can-be's, Tenten rocking as she quietly cried.

~0~

_Hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me._

_More tighter. Tighter_

_Until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, _

_**Life. Until it colors**_

_~0~_

_**The cruel world his hurting you **_

_**I'll laugh. So you can laugh**_

_**You're worrying about immobile me.**_

_**I'll think. So you can sing.**_

_~0~_

"…Where going _where?"_

Tenten rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "we're going to the zoo. And then, we're going to get ice cream. You've been to the zoo, right?"

Neji, who had looked at her when she made her silly request, rolled his eyes right back at her, before turning back to his sketchbook, finishing the shading of the way the sun hit Tenten's hair as she stood on the fountain. For the past month, Tenten has been coming to the hospital to see him, and every time, she always had a new place that she wanted him to see. Last week, she'd taken him into the woods, showing him a large river that ran by softly.

"Today was a lucky day," Tenten had spoken, dipping her feet into the cool water, "sometimes there are bugs all over the place. One time I was sitting here, and about an hour later, I looked down, and there was a huge spider on my shoulder." She'd shuddered, "I didn't come back here for a month."

Neji chuckled softly, and sat next to her, their fingers almost-but-not-quite touching, orange sparks arcing over their fingers. Now, it was a new visit, and with it, a new adventure. Neji placed the colored pencil he was using down, closing his sketchbook with a sigh, "two hours," he warned her, tying a dark green bandanna over his head, "two hours, and then we go for ice cream. Got it?"

Tenten grinned, happy that she got her way, and Neji's room glowed from the yellow in her smile, "okay, Neji! C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!" With a tiny huff, Neji grabbed her hand, and let her yank him off the bed, down the white halls, and out into the blinding brightness of the world.

~0~

"_Inochi wa toki no naka wo_

_nagare nagarete_

_tokoshie no kiroku wo_

_futae no rasen ni tsumugi yuku_

_watashi wa kono uta wo_

_utai katarite_

_setsuna no kioku wo_

_hito no kokoro ni kizami yuku"_

Neji stared at Tenten's sad face, slowly eating his ice cream cone as she sang.

They stayed at the zoo for two hours, just as Tenten had promised. They wandered through the entire place, paying a visit to all of the animals. After each visit, Neji had to sit down, fighting the nausea that was turning his stomach inside out. He used to love the zoo; honestly he did, especially the tigers, their stripes rippling as they practically glided across the ground.

Now, the sour smell surrounding the zoo was overwhelming, when normally no one would notice it at all. When Tenten saw him, his head in his hands, taking deep, calming breaths, she grabbed his hand, and they quietly left the zoo.

Now, they were back at the park, and Neji sat at the bench, watching Tenten sing.

~0~

_**I know. Isn't the world a little more scary?**_

_**(The eyebrows are crunching while singing)**_

_~0~_

"_Inochi wa toki no naka wo_

_nagare nagarete_

_tokoshie no kiroku wo_

_futae no rasen ni tsumugi yuku_

_watashi wa kono uta wo_

_utai katarite_

_setsuna no kioku wo_

_hito no kokoro ni kizami yuku"_

A lone tear slid down Tenten's face, and she quickly swiped it away as she continued to sing about loss and memories and letting go.

~0~

_**I know. Isn't the world a little more sad?  
(The smiling face's eyes are watering)**_

_~0~_

Having finished his ice cream cone, Neji wiped his sticky fingers in the legs of his jeans, never taking his eyes off of Tenten. She still radiated that warm gold glow, but the edges seemed to be washed out, turning into a shade of grey.

She was sad. And he was the cause of it.

He sat back, gripping his elbows in a loose hug, as murky brown regret washed over him. Just then, Tenten turned her head to look at him, and he jerked his head down, staring at his lap, memorizing the faint stitching patterns in his jeans.

"_Shizukana shizukana mori no oku de_

_kasukani kirameku furubita kagami ni_

_chiisaku chiisaku fureta boku wa…_

_Kimi no basho sono sekai boku to onaji keshiki_

_kimi no basho onaji sora tada watashi dake soko ni inai"_

_~0~_

_**You're singing. About the colorful world**_

_**I receive it. The clear emotions**_

_**You're singing. With a faint sweetness**_

_**I receive it. The soft shine**_

_~0~_

"_Futari wo wakatsu kono kagami no_

_mukougawa onaji basho bokura utau_

_tsutaete (tsutaete) kono utagoe_

_kikasete (kikasete) kimi no oto_

_itsuka wa (itsuka wa) todoku yo ne to_

_ima mo koushite utatte imasu"_

Neji slowly looked up, and saw that Tenten was still looking at him, rocking on the heels of her feet. When he finally locked eyes with her, the smile she gave him was as radiant as it was when she first met him. He didn't have to feel so guilty…it was alright…everything was fine. It felt like the first day he met her; he couldn't help but smile back.

"_Eien (towa toka) shinjitenai kara_

_itsuka wa (itsuka wa) kagami ga kowarete_

_kimi e to (kimi e to) aeru you ni_

_ima mo shinjite utatte imasu"_

_~0~_

_**You're singing. About the discolored world**_

_**I receive it. The colorful discoloration**_

_~0~_

"Neji."

"Tenten. Did you bring it?"

Tenten raised her arms and grinned, the smile a Cheshire smile. Hanging off of her arms were rows of paint, two large paintbrushes taped to the inside of her thighs. Neji shook his head, amazed, "how were you able to sneak it inside?" Tenten shrugged, "I told them it was for the children's ward. They believed it. Isn't that surprising?" Tenten giggled and Neji grabbed her wrist, tugging her into his room, "It's not, really," he said as he shut the door, "this hospital's kind of weird." While Neji locked the door, Tenten dumped the cans of paint onto his bed, ripping the taped paintbrushes off her legs.

"Soo…tell me what this is for again?"

Neji went quiet, staring past Tenten, out the window, lost in thought. Finally, he said, "I was…I was just tired of the walls. They're too white; I want some color."

For some reason, what he said made Tenten warm, and her lips curved into a soft smile. "Well," she said, popping the lid off the yellow paint can, "if it's color that you want...then you'll get color" With a face that was comically serious, she held up the second paintbrush, "alright, partner, grab the brush, dip it in, and start swinging."

~0~

Two hours and six cans of paint later; Neji's hospital room was a kaleidoscope, the whirl of spattered colors almost making him dizzy. Gone was the unbearably blinding white in his room, and in its place was a brilliant rainbow, the colors dimmed by the darkness filling the room, the moon their only source of light.

Tenten puffed up with pride, "this is pretty good," she said happily and wiped her nose, leaving a streak of blue across her cheek, "I'm proud of us." Staring at the smudge of blue across her face, Neji chuckled quietly, and grabbed one of his bandannas, a soft yellow cloth, using it to wipe the paint off of her face. Tenten stared at him as he wiped the paint away, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

She looked away for a second, considering, before looking back at him, the thoughtful look in her eyes never going away. "I love you," she finally spoke, her eyes narrowing slightly, her expression serious. The way she said it wrapped him up in deep crimsons and husky oranges, and left him speechless. Tenten seemed to like the way it sounded, so she said it again, "I love you," she repeated, pressing his hand against her face, the bandanna wedged between her skin and his hand, closing her eyes.

Neji didn't know when he'd cradled her face between his hands, or when he slowly pulled her close and kissed her, so wrapped up he was in the reds and oranges and warm, warm gold and _he couldn't believe she loved him._

And suddenly, he was saying it; over and over and over, "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-" between breaths and kisses, until no one know who was saying what but it was always there, a gentle metronome, "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-"

When did the paint cans fall to the floor? They were so loud, they would wake someone up, but they didn't care, the bed was so soft, and they were _alive_, the world coming together and simultaneously crashing around their ears, but their metronome went on and on. "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-" And soon there was skin sliding on skin and even the air was silent, their whispers like a prayer.

And oh, it _hurt_, but it didn't matter, because they were _alive_, and the soft yet scratchy sheets were entirely too loud to them, before the world was silent again, harsh breaths and reverent whispers the only noise, and they _cried_. They cried and cried and cried, tears mixing in with sweat as their carefully built wall of denial finally crumbled, for they had found the truest of trues, and it was being ripped away from them as he was preparing to go to a place where she would never be able to follow. But through their tears, their metronome went on, the rhythm barely broken by the stutter of their tears. "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-"

Tenten cried, while she memorized the feel of his skin beneath her hands, his hair sliding through her fingers like spider's silk. Neji cried, too, as he burned her scent-cinnamon and vanilla and _Tenten_- letting her loose hair run through his fingers, crushing the strands of hair to his lips.

They cried, and they died, and they were reborn again and again and again.

And through the night, their metronome played on. "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-"

~0~

_**I'm drawing. The "world" with life**_

_~0~_

Tenten was at the fountain, waiting for Neji, when she felt it.

It was subtle; a small chill in the air, but when she felt it, Tenten grew cold, the metallic chill sharp, making her bones rattle and ache. Without even thinking, she shot up, and ran to the hospital, her pounding heart all she could hear, along with a name, a robotic, desperate chant in the corners of her mind, _'Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji-' _

She sprinted, flying into the doors as they opened, rushing past the front desk, ignoring the cries of the woman sitting there, only one thought in her mind, one name engraved in her heart, '_Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji-'_

Tenten ran up the stairs, not patient enough to wait for the elevator, her legs shaking as she finally reached his room.

~0~

_Sing. Sing about everything_

_Sky, wind, rain, sunlight_

_Sing about "now". Sing. Sing about everything_

_Sky, wind, rain, sunlight_

_Sing a "song"_

_~0~_

_**I'm drawing. The "world" you gave me**_

_~0~_

Tenten wanted to scream, to cry out his name, to do _something_, but all she could do was stand there and stare, her heart breaking and being ripped out at the same time, yet continuing the faithful beat, its rhythm matching the syllables of his name, '_Ne-ji, Ne-ji, Ne-ji, Ne-ji-'_

Stifling a sob, Tenten shakily moved over to Neji's still body, the weak rise and fall of his chest the only thing telling her that he was still alive, but only just. Careful not to jostle him or the breathing mask on his face (there were so many _tubes...)_, Tenten slid into the bed, and curled up against his side, closing her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, catching their mixed scents, forever burned into the sheets. "You must've had a fit," she whispered, "so that they wouldn't change your bed. Hospitals are too sanitary sometimes…"

Neji didn't answer, his chest rising and falling, rising and falling, each weak breath sounding unbearably painful.

The tears burned Tenten's eyes, and she tried not to cry, clenching her jaw until her teeth ached, "he'll be fine," she whispered fiercely, "he'll be okay. He'll wake up any minute, telling me to get off, because I'm heavy. But he'll be joking, of course; he-he doesn't m-mean it…" Tenten clenched the fabric of Neji's hospital gown in her fist, "six-six months…" she choked out, tears finally spilling over, "we-we only had _six months._ It was s-supposed to be a _year._ It was supposed to be-to be…You were going to get better! You'd be okay, and then we'd move in together, and I'd teach you how to sing and play the guitar, so then we'd sing at the park _together_, and then we'd…we'd…"

She stopped, a strangled sob erupting from her as she began to cry.

~0~

_I can't say it. I can't say it. I can't say it._

_I can't say the true words_

_~0~_

_**I'm in agony. In the "world" with life**_

_~0~_

All Neji knew was pain.

Every breath was pain, every thought was pain, every movement he made led to a pain so great, that it almost made him wish for death. But he couldn't die; _he wasn't supposed to die._ He was going to get past this, and get better. For both of them.

"…months. We-we only had six _months_."

That voice, that familiar voice, washed over him, relaxing him and bringing him more pain at the same time. Tenten…

_"_It was s-supposed to be a _year_," her voice, clogged with suppressed tears, continued, "It was supposed to be-to be…You were going to get better! You'd be okay, and then we'd move in together, and I'd teach you how to sing and play the guitar, so then we'd sing at the park together, and then we'd…we'd…"

Her voice cut off into a strangled sob, and her tears, warm, lonely and bitter, bitter purple, soaked through, touching his cold skin. "I-I don't _want_ to let you go!" she wailed brokenly, "I just-I just _got_ you; I j-just _found _you. You can't leave me _now, _because _I love you_, and it _hurts_!"

Neji burned with everything he was; he burned, he _ached_ to hold her, to tell her he was sorry, that he didn't want to go either, that he wanted to stay, and see what they would become.

But apparently, fate did not set those plans in stone.

And so,instead of trying to hold her, Neji remembered. He remembered the only things that he would know; the scar on the back of Tenten's thigh, shaped like a question mark (which, to him, just emphasized just how much of a mystery she was), her scent, and the way she said his name, making it sound like a song. He remembered her smile, her laugh, everything about her that was just so _golden_. He remembered the taste of her tears. Neji remembered it all, and wrapped it around him like a blanket, reveling in the comfort that the memories brought him.

Neji quietly burned, lying in his white-white agony, as he told her that he loved her in his own mute way, before quietly, unwillingly slipping away, heading toward a place where she couldn't go.

And Neji stopped burning.

~0~

_**I'm in agony. In the "world" you gave me**_

_~0~_

Tenten felt it the moment Neji's heart stopped, the organ weakly beating the syllables of her name one last time, before he quietly slipped away.

It was as though he was telling her he loved her, one last time.

As soon as he was gone, the grief smothered her, overpowering and heavy and as black as night. She didn't even know that she had started to scream, a broken, keening wail that alerted the nurses, Nurse Uchiha the first one to barge in. Tenten couldn't stop screaming, the pain too much as her colors slipped away.

Suddenly _she_ was seeing in shades of grey, trapped in a monochromatic world. Her rainbow was gone.

~0~

_I can't see it. I can't see it. I can't see it._

_I leave the heart I can't see._

_~0~_

Sakura slowly edged towards Tenten, who was sitting in one of the plastic chairs, the light gone from her eyes. "T…Tenten…?" she called out softly, clutching the dark blue notebook in her hands.

Slowly, as though the simple movement stole all of her energy, Tenten turned her dead, hollow eyes onto the nurse, who flinched away from them for a second, before taking a step forward, holding out Neji's sketchbook. "It's Neji's," she explained, as Tenten hugged the book to her chest, "I'm sure that…well…he'd want you to have this." And with that said, Sakura turned, and walked away, back into the colorful mess that was Neji's room.

Tenten stared at the sketchbook in awe, tenderly running a hand over the cover, before slowly flipping it open. On the first page, there was a rough sketch of the bookstore he showed her, the large building filled with row upon row of books. The next page, a man, probably Neji's father, his eyes crinkled as he smiled. On and on she flipped through the pages, taking in each one hungrily, before she saw one page, and stopped.

It was a drawing of her, wearing the white dress, smiling on the rim of the fountain on the day they'd first met.

She turned the page, and saw another drawing of her, when they went to the river, her head tilted back, and eyes closed, a smile on her face. On the next page, she was holding an ice cream cone, her eyes closed as she stuck her tongue out at him. The next page, she was curled up in Neji's hospital bed, her hair a tangled mess around her bare shoulders, smiling peacefully. Page after page after page was _filled_ with drawings. _Of her, _each one colored with exquisite detail. On the very last page was a drawing of them _together_.

Tenten's eyes were closed, her nose wrinkled as she laughed; Neji's eyes were closed, his expression happy, peaceful, as he pressed his lips against her forehead, his hands resting on her hips.

Tenten didn't know that she was crying again until one of her tears hit the page, sinking into the paper. Tenten closed the sketchbook and clutched it to her chest, desperate to hold on to this last piece of Neji as she cried.

~0~

_**Now, the wall has every color in the world.**_

_**Thank you. **_

_**Promise me.**_

_**Although, later, even a little…**_

_~0~_

Time passed, eventually, and the world began to move on.

Except for one girl.

She was standing on the edge of the fountain, wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. She never wore white anymore. Or grey. All she wore was black, and, on _really_ bad days, she wore colors. But, even when she wore black, the only scrap of color she always wore, was the pale yellow bandanna tied to her head, still stained with the blue paint. And as she stood on the fountain, she sang, every day, about a scar that won't heal, a pain that won't vanish, and for someone to hold her, until her color returns.

~0~

_It won't heal. It won't heal. It won't heal. _

_Hiding that scar that won't heal_

_It won't disappear. It won't disappear. It won't disappear._

_Holding the pain that won't disappear._

_Hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me._

_More tighter. Tighter_

_Until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, until, _

_Life. Until it colors_

_~0~_

_**The White Boy, in the world given by the Colorful Girl, the one white lie.**_

_**The Colorful Girl, instead of crying, no longer smiles.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Ahh. Finishing this felt nice. I hope I did okay. If you read this, thanks so much, and I hope that you liked it. _

_**12/16/10: There is sooooo not gonna be an omake anymore, no matter how cool that would've been. But it's fine. I'm happy with just this. Thank you very much for reading this!**_

_Buh-bye~!_


	2. The Road Not Taken

_**Ohhaithar.**_

_**How's everyone doooin'? Good? That's awesome. Me too.**_

_**So. We all know how the end of Colorful. White. went, yes? Oh yes. Tears were shed. Even on my part.**_

_**So, this idea came to me earlier today. An alternate ending, really. 'Cause, well, wouldn't anyone liked to have seen what could've been? **_

_**So yeah. Here it is. The what-could've-been.**_

_**I hope this doesn't make you cry more.**_

_**There's a few song lyrics used; Christmas Morgue by Miku Hatsune**_

_**The poem is The Road Not Taken byRobert Frost.**_

_**Enjoy~**_

* * *

_**ooo**_

_**Two roads diverged in a yellow wood**_

_**And sorry I could not travel both**_

_**And be one traveler where I stood**_

_**And looked down one as far as I could**_

_**To where it bent in the undergrowth;**_

_**ooo**_

_**Spring**_

It was the sun that woke her up, shining bright through her thin curtains, and right onto her face.

Her face wrinkled up, and she groaned, turning groggily away from the sun, pressing her face into the chest of the person lying next to her. This, in turn, woke him up, and he sighed, running his fingers drowsily down the skin of her bare back. "Tenten," he said sleepily, "what is it?" She shrugged a lazy roll of her shoulders, "the sun," she groaned, "too bright. Still sleepy. Turn it off."

Neji chuckled, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "it'll go away in a minute. Go back to sleep."  
"Mm, I can't…I'm awake now."

Tenten pushed herself onto her elbows, dark hair spilling over her shoulders, and looked over to glare at the sun, which beamed back innocently. "Stupid freaking sun," she grumbled, making Neji snort with laughter as he sat up. Her eyes softened as they slid back over to him, and she fully pushed herself up, crawling into his lap.

She curled into him and sighed, the sound pink with love, "good morning," she murmured, and Neji smiled down at her, his pale eyes practically glowing in the light, "good morning," he said, leaning down to kiss her.

She hummed, running a hand through his shoulder-length, coffee-colored hair. It was growing back now, as thick as it was in the photographs she'd seen and she was glad; though no matter how thick it was, it still felt like spider's silk when it ran through her fingers.

"So guess what?" she whispered against his lips

"What?"

"It's almost been two years, now. Since you got better." Her heart pounded as she said it, the feeling inside her bright and yellow. Every day, she was thankful; ever since that day in the hospital, when she'd almost lost him…she thanked her lucky stars, praised the God out there that was merciful enough to leave this wonderful person for her.

Neji buried his face in the crook of her neck, and she could feel the smile spread against her skin. "Yeah...it is, isn't it?" he bit at the skin there, laughing as she yelped, "I'm thankful. Every day. I thought I wasn't going to make it."

"But you did. You're here."

"Yeah…."

They fell silent, the feeling a peaceful blue, as they watched the sun rise higher and higher into the sky.

Finally, Tenten moved, rolling out of his arms and the bed, raising her arms high as she stretched, "okay," she sighed, "Let's start the day, shall we?"

Neji watched the arch of her back, the bones of her spine poking softly through her skin, "do we have to?" he asked, his voice rougher than usual, red with desire. Tenten tossed a mischievous smirk over her shoulder, "yes, yes we do. You have to do your daily guitar lesson."

He groaned.

**_ooo_**

"_No,_ Neji! You missed a note! Try it again, from the top."

Tenten pursed her lips, watching like a hawk as Neji went through the chords again, his long fingers passing slowly over the strings.

They'd been doing this for an hour now, Neji going over the same song over and over until his fingers ached. When he finally got through the whole song, he looked over at Tenten, who nodded, "good! Now, again!"

Neji pressed his lips together tightly, smothering a frustrated groan; couldn't she give him something _new_ to practice, at least?

Tenten saw the frustration pass through his eyes like lightning, before he bent his head over the guitar, ready to practice again. Frowning, Tenten moved onto her knees, making Neji look back over at her. He stared, raising a curious eyebrow, as Tenten grabbed the hem of her white t-shirt and jerked the shirt over her head. One raised eyebrow became two, and Tenten stretched as though she wasn't sitting in front of him, shirtless.

She smiled innocently, taking out the buns in her hair, "if you can make it through the next hour," she chirped, "I'll give you a reward."

Neji shifted uncomfortably, his groin suddenly aching, and looked over at the clock.

He swore softly, trying his hardest not to look at Tenten as she laid there, winding a lock of her hair around her finger.

This hour was going to _kill him._

**_ooo_**

_**Then, having took the other, just as fair,**_

_**And having perhaps the better claim,**_

_**Because it was grassy and wanted wear;**_

_**Though as for that the passing there**_

_**Had worn them really about the same,**_

_**ooo**_

_**Summer**_

"Nejiiii…wake uuuup…"

He grumbled something illegible, turning away from the voice to try and go back to sleep. But that voice, that _woman_, was relentless, hands pressing against his shoulders, not letting him get away. "C'mon, Neji…wake uuup!"

"_No_", he growled, trying to push Tenten off of him, "I'm _tired._ I want to _sleep._"

He could almost see the pout, could almost _hear_ her lip trembling, "but...but…but it's your _birthdaaay_. I-I wanted-"

"And since it is my _birthday_, doesn't that mean I get what I want? And that means, at this moment, I get to sleep in _like I want?"_

Tenten went silent, and Neji sighed, certain that he'd gotten what he wanted.

That assumption soon vanished when a weight appeared on his abdomen.

He opened his eyes, and stared into wide hazel. Tenten sat on his stomach, straddling him, beaming, "well, yeah, you _usually_ get what you want on your birthday! But, you got me as your girlfriend, and I _usually_ don't go by the birthday tradition."

Her smile was golden, and Neji couldn't help but get swept up into it and smile back. "So…twenty years old. How does it feel?" Neji hummed thoughtfully, lacing his hands across her back, "not that different, really. I'm just a little older; I still feel like I do when I was nineteen."

"Mm…so does that mean I can sing happy birthday to you now?"

Tenten tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from his face and smiled, and Neji felt his heart melt a little and his exhaustion fade, "well…I guess so."

His hands slid up her back, down her arms, and grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers together. Her smile widened, and she hovered over him, pressing her lips against the corner of his mouth, "_Happy birthday to you,_" she sang softly, lips rubbing against his skin. She moved again, pressing her lips fully against his, chuckling, "_Happy birthday to you,"_ she murmured against his lower lip, _"Happy birthday dear Neji…Happy birthday…to…you."_

Her song over, she hopped off of him, straightening her loose ponytail, pulling up the strap of her tank-top that Neji was trying to remove, "come on, Neji! I made you breakfast!"

She practically skipped out of the room, and Neji pressed his face into a pillow and groaned, desire making his bones ache. He should've seen that coming, really; Tenten was such a trickster at this, it was awful.

"Neeejiiii, come on! We're going out after this to get you a present!"

After the tease he'd gotten this morning, he was hoping for an extra present later on today.

**_ooo_**

_**Autumn**_

"So, I was thinking about getting a house."

Tenten looked over at Neji from the rim of her coffee cup, raising an eyebrow, "a house..?"

Neji raised a hand, "just a small one. One level, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, at least." Tenten cocked her head to the side, considering, "Well…maybe…I would be nice to have our own place, wouldn't it…? What brought this thought on, anyway?"

Neji shrugged, not willing to answer. He didn't really want to tell her his actual reason; not yet, anyway. He wanted a bigger house to…for…He saw it, in his mind's eye; Tenten, smiling at him, a gold band on her finger, her stomach round with their child, in their own home, not some small apartment.

That image stuck with him, haunting him, and oh, God, he _wanted it._ He wanted that life so bad it _hurt_.

He thought about it every day, and once, he'd caught himself lingering in front of a jewelry store, staring at the rings that waited inside. Shaking off his thoughts, he focused back onto Tenten, "ah, I just…I just really want our own place, you know? It'd be nice to have our own space."

Tenten said nothing, looking out the window of the coffee shop, staring at all the people who passed by, "yeah," she finally said, "having our own place would be nice. We should start looking."

She looked back at him, smiling, "hey, hey, let's go to the bookstore! They have newspapers, right? With house listings? Let's go!"

**_ooo_**

_**And both that morning equally lay**_

_**In leaves no step had trodden black.**_

_**Oh, I kept the first for another day!**_

_**Yet knowing how way leads on to way,**_

_**I doubted if I should ever come back.**_

_**ooo**_

_**Winter**_

"_Doko e yukou? Doko e demo ikeru deshou_

_Itsudatte koko wa sekai no hate."_

Neji listened to the song as it played softly through the room, putting down his book to stare at Tenten who was curled up on the couch, asleep. She was curled up under a blanket, her hair covered with a yellow bandana, smeared with blue paint. The lights from the Christmas tree sent a soft kaleidoscope of colors across her face, and it made Neji smile.

"_"Ima ni mina __yo anemone ga saku darou"_

_Merii merii__ Kurisumasu mou nidoto…"_

Making sure that she was soundly asleep, Neji slowly stood up, grabbing the small velvet box that was tucked into his side. Tip-toeing over to her, he gently grabbed her hand, opening her fingers, and placed the box inside, smirking as Tenten sighed and shifted a little, her fingers closing tightly around the box.

"_Kaeranai"_

Settling back into his chair, Neji wrapped his own blanket around himself, smiling as he made himself as comfortable as he could, and went to sleep, just as the clock hit midnight, announcing that it was finally Christmas morning.

"_Moshimo futari no sugata ga..."_

**_ooo_**

He woke up to Tenten tackling him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, pressing herself as close as she could, as though she was trying to sink into his skin.

Neji struggled to sit up, bleary-eyed, his heart pounding at the sudden wake-up call. "T-Tenten...what…what's?" he tried to speak, tried to ask what was going on, if something was wrong, but he was never able to form the words because she crushed her mouth against his.

"Yes…" she breathed against his lips, her voice trembling. She brushed her hand against his cheek, her left hand, and he felt something cool and smooth.

At that touch, it all rushed back to him; the night before, the music, the tree…

The velvet box that he slipped into her hand.

Eyes wide, Neji grabbed her hand, not believing it until he saw it, _really _saw it…

And there it was.

A simple gold band, with a white opal in the center, surrounded by tiny white diamonds, rested snugly on Tenten's ring finger, the opal shining rainbows in the light. Dimly, he thought that the stone was perfect, that it represented Tenten perfectly; pure white, yet able to throw rainbows.

She was wearing it. _She was wearing it._

And then he remembered what she said.

'_Yes.'_

She said yes. _She said yes._

He looked up at her, and she smiled, her eyes filled with tears. "Yes," he said dumbly, still unable to believe it. She nodded rapidly, "Yeah," she said shakily, "Yes. _Yes."_

_She said yes._

"You…you'll marry me? You want to marry me?"

She nodded again, and she almost looked like a bobble-head doll, she was nodding so fast.

It was small at first, and then it grew and grew, and Neji's smile was so large that it radiated happiness so great it was _white_. Pure, pure white.

And then, Tenten was smiling even wider, and their happiness mixed together just _glowed_, filling the room, and everyone that lived on their floor _swore_ they could feel it.

Neji stood up, holding Tenten tightly in his arms and swung them both around the room.

"_She said yes!"  
__"I said yes!"  
"We're getting married!"_

They laughed, they cried, they kissed, they made love on the living room floor, underneath the blinking Christmas lights.

They were getting married. They were so happy.

It was white. Pure, pure white.

_**ooo**_

_**Spring**_

Tenten sat in front of a window, staring at the clouds as they slowly passed by.

It was warm, a pleasant breeze passing by every now and again, the trees and the flowers rustling in time with the wind.

Today was a wonderful day, a beautiful day.

A perfect day for a wedding.

Tenten grinned at the thought, and twirled away from the window, running her hands over the bodice of her dress.

It was white (of course), short, the lacy hem of the dress brushing a few inches above her ankles, and strapless, her tan skin glowing against the white, white color. Tenten brushed her fingers against the creamy pearl buttons, the white roses in her hair, the thin veil brushing over her shoulders and her grin widened to impossible lengths.

A soft knocking pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to the door, telling the person to come in. The door opened, and her uncle, her guardian, Gai, came in. He saw her, beaming, glowing, dressed in white, and got a little teary-eyed.

"My girl," he sighed, "all grown up and getting married. I never thought this day would come." Tenten laughed, reaching out to straighten out Gai's tie, "I'm still the same, really. All that's changing is the last name. You'll still see me around, I promise."

He sniffled, shrugging, "you'll always be that little girl I took in, singing to people and punching Lee in the nose."

She stuck her tongue out at him and they both laughed, quickly falling silent as music began to play.

"Well…it's time." Gai held out his arm, and Tenten pulled her veil in place before winding her arm through his, grabbing her bouquet of white roses.

"You nervous?" he murmured, grabbing one of her shaking hands.

Tenten shook her head, "no," she whispered, "far from it. I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it."

Gai chuckled, leading her down the stairs, toward the large doors that led to the sanctuary of the church. Then, the doors opened, the music washed over them, and all eyes were on her.

But Tenten didn't care, all of her attention focused at the end of the aisle.

Where Neji was waiting.

**_ooo_**

_**I shall be telling this with a sigh**_

_**Somewhere ages and ages hence:**_

_**Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-**_

_**I took the one less traveled by,**_

_**And that has made all the difference.**_

_**ooo**_

* * *

_**...*sniffle***_

_**I don't feel good. I don't feel good at all! Crap! **_

_**Guys, ignore the ending to Colorful. White. THIS can be the legit ending. For realsies.**_

_**I hope no one cried. If so, I have virtual cookies and hugs. They make the world go round.**_

_**Review, please~!**_

_**Thank you!**_


End file.
